Hello, summer! Now that Vancouver is in the throes of a full-on heat wave, it's time for a back-to-basics approach to hot-weather beauty. Here, 6 finds that make the dog days of summer a little more pretty.

Summer beauty is all about ease for me: glowing skin, groomed brows, lush lashes, and a little colour and shine on the lips. But for those who prefer to play up their eyes instead of their pouts, Dior's latest offerings should be right up their alley. The all-new collection of eyeshadow palettes, brow products, and mascaras is driven by creative director Peter Philips' backstage innovation and expertise. Ready for a closer look? More photos and details after the jump!

Summer may be the season of blockbuster movies and leisurely hours spent flipping through magazines pool-side, but there's something about the long days and relaxed vibe at this time of year that makes me crave a good book. And by "good," I mean entertaining, light, and eclectic—as evidenced by the 6 books on my must-read list this season.

When temperatures climb, a beauty lover's best kept secret for beating the heat may just be a facial mist. These versatile sprays refresh the complexion throughout the day, as well as calm, hydrate, and tone depending on the formula. I like keeping mine in the fridge for an extra-refreshing spritz—perfect on a sweltering day. Here are 3 types I've tried and liked.

"Doll-faced" is usually a figure of speech when it comes to beauty looks, but in the case of L'Oreal Miss Manga Rock Mascara ($11.99 at London Drugs), which promises to give you anime character-inspired lashes, the expression is quite literal. This latest iteration of L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara boasts a texturizing, volumizing formula and a 360-degree spiked brush. The idea is that you can build up your lash look from heightened volume to editorial-worthy spikes.

Lazy Girl Approved highlights long-lasting, goof-proof, fuss-free products that can fit into the most minimalist of regimens. If you consider yourself a low-maintenance beauty lover, these product reviews are for you!

Few products have as much face-brightening impact as a good blush or lip colour, and when they're combined in a single product, even better! More and more companies are catching on to the multi-tasking miraculousness of a lip/cheek colour, which means there are more formulas for you to choose from (and explains why I couldn't narrow this post down to just one).

The first and only time I tried Bioré's pore cleansing nose strips, I was in high school and underwhelmed by the results, quite frankly. So you can imagine how skeptical I was about the new Bioré Deep Cleansing Charcoal Pore Strips ($9.99 at London Drugs). These strips promise to remove weeks' worth of oil and pore-clogging debris thanks to the deep-cleaning, oil-absorbing power of charcoal. Much to my delight and surprise though, they performed remarkably well in fulfilling said promise.

I love how a special top coat can breathe new life into old nail polish hues and effectively double your nail polish collection. Dior usually launches one special top coat in every seasonal limited edition and MAC recently came out with a collection of Transformation top coats. But for a budget-friendly option at the drugstore level, Revlon Transforming Effects Top Coats ($6.49 at London Drugs) are where it's at.

One of the up sides of postponing our wedding is the luxury of being able to really savour the planning process. And by "savour the process," I mean getting sucked into Etsy, ogling all sorts of pretty things. Seriously, what did busy brides-to-be ever do before Etsy? Everything one could ever want for a wedding—from decor and party favours to craft supplies and bridal accessories—is just a click away, making it a cinch to plan/browse/shop during workday lunch breaks.